“What did you do?” says James as he sits down next to me at the end of Potions class.

“What are you talking about?” I say.

“Come off it” says Sirius plopping down on my other side. “What did you say to get McGonagall to let us off detention?”

“McGonagall did what now?”

“She told me after Transfiguration this morning that she was going to let us off with a warning so we could do quidditch tryouts” says James. “Are you sure you had absolutely nothing to do with that?”

Well, a little smile won’t hurt.

“I knew it!” he says. “Thanks Evans. I owe you. How about, I make it up to you by buying you lunch on our first Hogsmede trip. Or I could take you out to dinner before then?”

“Thanks for the offer, Potter, but there’s no need. It was purely out of the goodness of my heart” I say before getting up and walking towards the cauldron cabinet.

“Think about it!” he shouts after me.

He is cute I suppose. If you look at him from behind the cauldron cabinet door, when he doesn’t know you’re watching. He’s got this habit of looking down for a moment whenever he laughs. It’s kind of endearing actually.

Bollox, what am I saying? He’s James Potter! He’s a…well he’s…I can’t think of anything bad right now, so I’ll get back to you on that one. I need a lemon drop.

“Ready for DADA?” says Alice as I come back to the table for my bag.

“I don’t really need defense against the dark arts right now Alice. What I need is some defense against James Potter.”

“So you do like him!” she says with a triumphant smirk.

“I never said that!” I say. “He’s just very…persistent.”

“And attractive, and athletic, and smart–

“He’s only smart because I tutor him”

“And you tutor him, so you spend a lot of time together. And also–

“Don’t really want to hear it right now”

“Just one more thing?”

I give her a death stare.

“One”

“He’s James freaking Potter!” she says quickly.

What am I going to do with her?

“Please come to quidditch with me?” says Erica on Saturday morning. She’s all dressed in her workout clothes, broom in hand, begging Alice and me to come to the pitch with her for tryouts.

“Potter’s gonna be there” she says, as if that’s supposed to make me come down.

“Is that your persuasion tactic for everything? Potter’s gonna be there? I really could not care less where James Potter is or isn’t gonna be!”

“Please? Please please please please please please please pl–

“Alright!” I say, throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt.

“Don’t leave me!” says Alice as we walk out the door, and she comes running out wearing pajama pants and a sweater, pulling on her shoes.

And that’s how I ended up sitting in the stands at the quidditch pitch with a rather irritated Alice Prewitt next to me.

“Morning ladies” says Remus as he sits down next to us. “What brings you to the pitch at this early hour?”

“The girl who needs so much emotional support that she can’t even try out for quidditch without us, even though she has a pretty much guaranteed spot on the team. Right next to–

“You know it’s not about quidditch” I whisper to make her shut up.

“I’m lost, why are you here?” says Remus again.

“Erica” I clarify.

“Why are you here, sweater vest?” says Alice, in a feeble attempt to make small talk.

“My best friend’s captian, and all my roommates are trying out so”

“Even Pettigrew?” I say.

“He tries out every year. Only difference is this year I think he thinks he has a better chance because James is captian” he says rolling his eyes.

“That’s a right laugh” says Alice. Then her eyes widen and she spins around fast enough to break her neck. “Did you say ALL of your roommates our trying out?”

“All my roommates have been on the team since second year, except for Pettigrew. Why do you ask?” he says, but Alice isn’t listening. She has turned around again and is scanning the field for a certain Frank Longbottom. When she finds him, she slaps my knee.

“Ow”

“Oh relax, it didn’t hurt that much”

“You’re ridiculous” I say.

I can hear James down on the pitch from all the way up here. He’s separating the players into groups of each position. I see Erica standing quite close to Sirius in the beaters group. Now she is ridiculous. She’s been in love with him since her first quidditch game in our third year. The Slytherin seeker was about two feet ahead of James and about to catch the snitch, but Erica was able to hit a bludger and knock his broom just before he caught it. James caught the snitch, Gryffindoor wins. The minute she was on the ground, Sirius had scooped her up in a bear hug, put her on his broom, and the two of them flew around the pitch a few times. He kept his arm around her for the rest of the night. She’s been in love with him ever since.

Right now she’s up in the air running drills with the other beaters. She’s completely ignoring the first years who think they have a prayer of making the team, and is instead trying to flirt with Sirius in between shots at bludgers, none of which she misses. Sirius and Erica are the best beaters in the whole school, so they’re on the team no matter what. James has seen them both play on off days and still manage to help win. The team’s pretty much set from the moment tryouts begin. James I’m sure has already written up the list of starters and is only using this time to find seconds.

“Alright” says James once all the positions have been drilled a few times. “If I call your name, please stay. If not, you’re free to go. For beaters, I wanna see Erica and Padfoot together, and I wanna see James and Oliver, yes you, twins. Let’s see, Dan, I wanna see you seek some more, and Danielle, Bonnie, and Alfie, you three stay for chasers with Marlene, Frank and Emmeline. Mary, you stay, and you too Wormtail. And, Rupert, you too. The rest of you, if you would kindly leave the pitch…” about fifteen very dejected looking first and second years walk off the pitch, and James starts drilling his team again.

“D’dja see that?” says Erica flying up to us.

“Saw the whole thing. Now go hit balls or whatever you do or you’ll lose your spot and I won’t be able to come to games anymore because you’ll be too bitter about it to let any of us go” says Alice. Erica bites her thumb and flies off again.

By three o’clock the list is up. James is seeker of course and Erica is far too excited that she’s a beater with Sirius again. She knew she was going to get it after all. Of course, Pettigrew is upset that he didn’t even get second, but he really is terrible at quidditch. Marlene, Frank, Emmeline, and Mary pretty much sum up the rest of the team.

I’m running out of lemon drops already. It usually takes me much longer than a week. I’m afraid I’ll say something stupid if I start to talk, so I just pop one in when I feel like I’m going to make a fool of myself. Wait, what am I saying? I’m Lily Evans! I’m in the slug club! I’m no fool!